The Adventures of Percy Jackson
by Mrinmoy
Summary: True heroes never break, even after losing their love. You have known Percy Jackson as a leader, a warrior? Now know him as an adventurer. Join Percy as he explores the world full of myths and mysteries, tries to solve them and of course, stops evil forces. After all, he is the hero of Olympus! (No Pairings. Artemis is a major character, a friend, not a love interest)
1. Where it starts

_**Disclaimer: 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' and most of the characters don't belong to me.**_

******Author's note**: This is my first story. I am not a native English speaker (to tell the truth I rarely speak it) so there might be some grammatical mistakes. Sorry for them. You should know a few things before you start. In this story, the Heroes of Olympus never formed, although the Romans exist and should appear later. There will be some supernatural characters not belonging to Greek mythology. This is not going to follow any single storyline. Sorry if I disappoint you, but there won't be any pairings for Percy Jackson here. Thank you.

**1. Where it starts**

It was a sunny day. Billy Carlyle never liked the heat much. Of course, you are not supposed to like anything at all when facing a case like that.

"Sir", one of his cops came in, "someone called Mr. Brunner is looking for you. Says you called him."

"Yes, send him in."

A few seconds later, two people entered the room. One in a wheelchair, the other one pushing it. The man on the chair was middle-aged, had brown hair and beard, "Ah, Billy my boy! Long time no see."

Billy Carlyle bowed a little, "Chiron", he glanced at the girl standing behind. Mr. Brunner, who was actually the immortal centaur Chiron, said, "Meet Marietta, one of my campers."

"Marietta Romero." Billy shook her hand, "Daughter of Demeter."

"Billy Carlyle, son of Athena."

Chiron propelled his wheelchair forward, where a dead body of a young man lied. It was a strange scene. His body held a few wounds, with no particular form. Some looked like beast claws, some looked like sharp blades and some looked like neither of them. Stranger, you could not see even a single drop of red. As if the blood has been poured out of his body. On the for-head, there was a symbol burned. A bird spreading its wings.

Billy stood aside, "Recognize the face? I do, back from the camp. Never knew him well though."

Chiron nodded, "Neville Beedland. A son of Apollo. I remember him very well. One of the few kids of Apollo with a little gift of prophecy. Sometimes he had visions of the future. Small details, nothing major, but visions all right."

"What is the symbol?"

"I have no knowledge of this."

"I thought you would know. That's why I called. You know about myths and supernatural phenomenon better than almost anyone alive." Billy bit his lower lips, "And what could have killed him like that? Wounds in the body, not no blood? Where did all the blood go? Is there any kind of monster in the world who could have done that?"

"Again my boy, I have to disappoint you. I have no idea, this is new to me."

"You know anyone who might….say, won't disappoint me?"

Chiron became silent for a while, having a thoughtful look on the face. The same face after a while, brightened, "There may be someone…..this land is full of strangest of things my boy. I am the half horse trainer of heroes, my father was a titan. Yet the world amazes me. Very few people nowadays dare to deal with the unknown. I know only one, who probably faced more kinds of monsters than anyone in the history. He might."

Billy's eyes lit up in recognition, "Of course! Why hadn't I thought of him? ...Percy Jackson! He might know. Can you contact him? Iris message may be?"

"I can try of course, but there is no guarantee we will find him. You know, he was never the same after the accident. After the death of your sister, and young Nico Di Angelo…."

Billy nodded sadly, "I never could've imagined Annabeth would die like that, in a stupid car accident. Who knew the architect of Olympus along with the only son of the king of the Underworld would go to the same place so soon? Extraordinary people like them dying so normally in such a young age?"

Mood of the room has changed already. Despite the heat, a coldness grabbed their heart. None spoke for a while. More specifically they couldn't even if they wanted. There are situations when you have to become speechless, whether you are the son of Athena or the son of Kronos.

At last Chiron broke the silence, "I must leave now. I shall try to contact Percy, see if anyone knows where he is nowadays. You keep working on the case. It is a good thing Billy that you joined the force as detective. We need demigods inside the police for cases like that. Good Bye"

* * *

"Chiron?"

"Yes dear?" Chiron asked Marietta, "Anything bothering you?"

"Not actually…what was the full name of that girl, the one who designed the new Olympus?"

"Annabeth Chase."

"How long ago did she died?"

"Almost been five years. Long before you came to the camp."

"We all hear of her, you know? Whenever Katie comes, she never stops the stories. The stories of Annabeth Chase, smartest daughter of Athena. The tales of Percy Jackson, the greatest hero ever…..I can't always believe her you know. I mean, there were Hercules, Perseus, Achilles, Theseus, and so many more. How can a teenage boy be greater than them? Greater than the legends? Do Katie brag? You knew them all Chiron, what do you think?"

Chiron chuckled, "Yes, Katie is one of Percy's best friends…..well, I can't really tell you who the greater hero is. The definition of greatness varies from people to people. I can only tell you only something I believe in."

"And what do you believe?"

Chiron thought for a while, "I have lived a very long time young one. I have seen a lot. I have seen people to lose everything, I have seen them to break down. Some says great heroes never find a happy ending. May be its true. Few heroes like Perseus could fulfill their purpose in the world. Why couldn't others? Because they are destined to fail one day? That is what Percy Jackson refuses to believe. He faced things someone of his age should never have to. He lost things, many things. But Percy Jackson never gave up. You know Marietta, before he left I asked him where he was going. He said, he has lost too much, he doesn't fear it now. He wants to see the world, he wants to live it because if you grief too much, what will others do who needs you?" Marietta helped Chiron to get inside the car, "He is great because he never wanted to be great Marietta. For those who fought the second titan war, Perseus is not only a leader. He is a hope"

* * *

"Ya' can only hope fishtail, but that would be pointless."

Somewhere in the world, we don't need to specify where, a small ship was floating on the large ocean. If you met one of the crews, you would know they are not that much of a pleasant people. To tell the truth, they were ruthless criminals. Anything with a price? They will do it having their eyes blindfolded. They loot, hunts and capture, and one thing just been captured is going to make them rich.

They caught a mermaid! A living mermaid!

There has always been legend among the pirates that mermaids were legend. Some tried to catch one, some even said they have seen them. But no one, no one at all succeeded.

Until today.

It was luck mostly. Crews of the ship never tried to catch one, though they believed they existed…..almost. And today, suddenly a strange human like creature rose to the ocean surface. One of them saw the creature, and threw a net. That's how they caught the mermaid.

To tell the truth, it was a very young mermaid. Merpeople never come to the out world. But this one is special. She was a mermaid demigod. A daughter of Demeter.

Sons and daughters of Demeter always preferred the earth to anything. They have a connection to the earth. They always try to stay near it. You will rarely find a demigod of Demeter living in cold countries or deserts. Very few mermaids are demigods actually. She was one of them. And the young mermaid made a mistake.

Her name was Nemeida. Her father is a general in Lord Poseidon's army, one of their peoples' leaders. It has always been her dream to see the world outside. Of course, her father never let her visit it. He said it was dangerous, filled with greedy people who would thought her a freak of nature. She never listened to him. It sounded like a monster story to her, made up for children. But that doubt is gone now. The pair of eyes which were full of excitement once was replaced by fear now.

And then…BOOM! What was that?

The man standing in front of the cage looked confused. What was that? Suddenly everything became silent outside. Except the sound of the ocean itself. The ocean never rests.

Someone walked inside, a young man with messy black hair and sea green eyes. The man became more confused, "who the hell are ya'?"

He didn't answer. Instead he glanced at Nemeida and smiled, "Hunger, isn't it? Hunger for a little adventure? But you shouldn't have come to the surface like that kid, this is not your home. You have to be more cautious."

The other one didn't find it funny, "Hey, I asked you something. Who the hell are you?"

"That is not important. But you shouldn't kidnap kids you know?"

"That is not a kid, that's a….."

"Yeah yeah I know, a mermaid….but, that's not important right now. I guess you are not letting her go, are you?"

"Err…of course not!"

The young man smiled, "Thought so", and then he moved.

BAM!

Nemeida couldn't believe her eyes. In a blink the new comer jumped like a torpedo and hit the other one. He fell on the floor unconscious.

"So, how are you feeling kid? They didn't torture you or anything, did they? I am sorry I couldn't come early." He took out a ball pen and removed the cap, it turned into a glowing bronze sword. Nemeida's eyes became as large as a football.

"Oh my gods!" she whispered, "It's you… The prince of the ocean!"

He chuckled, "Smart one, aren't you Nemeida? Well, I don't like to call myself a prince actually, that would be my brother Triton. I am just a lone explorer… but I am Percy Jackson, at your service!"


	2. Three Little Pets

_**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' and most of the characters.**_

**2. Three little pets**

"Sir we have the report."

Billy looked up, "Yeah? What did they find?"

"Well…the result was kind of weird."

He already knew that it was weird, "Yes it is supposed to be weird. What did you find?"

"We had three kinds of wounds on the body. One belonged to some kind of claws no doubt, probably some dog or cat like creature. But the supposed beast should be huge then, maybe even as large as a horse. The other one looked as if been made with some kind of blade. But we have found little pieces of hair in there."

"Little pieces of hair?"

"Yes sir, hair. White ones, according to the experts they are feathers."

All right, the whole thing is getting weirder than he imagined, "Go on."

"The other wounds were caused by someone using a fang to tear the skin and flesh apart…..a snake fang."

* * *

One thing everyone must agree to is The Empire State building was huge. Mark Kingwell, a professor of philosophy from University of Toronto, wrote a book on the building. The name of that book was "Nearest Thing to Heaven: The Empire State Building and American Dreams".

One thing Mr. Kingwell didn't know is the building can never be the nearest thing to heaven, it literally was the heaven! Most powerful beings on earth lived there, on the Olympus hidden from public eyes.

It has been a long time since Percy had last been to this place. For almost five years he has been an explorer. He traveled the world, went to places none has ever been to, seen things very few people had luck to…until now. At last, he has returned to New York.

An old guy was playing a guitar nearby, "Big place eh?"

"You can say that. Too big for some people may be."

The guy chuckled, "Have a sense of humor then, eh? I like that…..so where are you from?"

Percy smiled, "From here actually, though was away from home for a long time. Ditched school and all."

"Ah, a young explorer. There is that step-brother of mine, he would really like you." The man started to laugh, maybe from an inside joke, "Been to the ocean have you?"

"Yep. How did you guess?"

"I don't know, you just have that look. Someone like an ocean. Restless yet gentle. Protective yet dangerous." He started playing the guitar again, "And I think you will leave your home very soon. But then, I could be wrong. It's not like am a prophet or anything, eh? Enjoy your return for now, good luck buddy."

The man kept playing. Percy stayed and listened for a while. He recognized the song. An old song but he recognized it all right.

_"Here comes the sun, here comes the sun_

_And I say it's all right._

_Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter._

_Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here….."_

And after a few minutes the hero of Olympus could be seen walking along the street in a happy mood. And if you listened very carefully, or had some super-hearing sense (which you don't have) , a whisper could be heard, "Thank you Apollo, for the welcome."

* * *

From outside the camp looked beautiful as ever. The fields, forest, cabins and the beach, everything. Percy walked inside, two kids were sitting there. One had sandy blond hair, one of Hermes'? The other didn't look so familiar. Both were little surprised by his appearance, "Can we help you?"

"Ah, yeah. Can you call Chiron please? Tell him an old student is here to meet him."

"Sure, just wait I will fetch him in no time."

One went inside, Percy looked at the other, "Children of Hermes are probably the fastest among demigods, did you know that."

"No, but how could you know he is a child of Hermes?"

"They have that look. That look full of mischief, as if they are plotting some prank for you. And most of them have sandy blond hair."

"Soooo, you are an old camper?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm…..you left the camp at least for four years then."

"Five years. How did you guess?"

"I have been here for almost four years, but never saw you. But you look kind of familiar. Maybe I saw you in one of the pictures…."

Percy chuckled, "Are you one of Athena's?"

"Nope. My mother is Nike." Nike, the goddess of victory. What specialties do her children have? Too much competitive mentality may be. Percy made a mental note to ask the old centaur later.

The old centaur was as always happy to see Percy.

"Percy my boy, it's been years. You can't even guess what kind of trouble I had to go through to find you. For some reasons Iris messages never reached you. Grover looked for you but you know how busy he is nowadays. Thalia sometimes comes to the camp along with her hunters, even she didn't know where you were. Then the Stolls had that wonderful idea to look for you in the internet. And then I found you, in a social networking website?"

Percy scratched his head sheepishly, "Yeah, I sometimes log into the Hephaestus Network. It was kind of him to let me open an account. But I thought only the immortals could sign up there, how did the Stolls get in?"

"They said something about 'Hacking into Mr. D's HN account may turn out to be the coolest thing we've ever done'."

Percy started to laugh. Dionysus is going to be so mad when he finds out. Then again, he might never, "How is life Chiron? How's the camp?"

Chiron shrugged, "We have more campers from so many gods nowadays. There are some children of the spirits too. The camp is always busy. I have taken a few teaching assistants. Now that I remember one of the seniors named Marietta wanted to meet you…she should be here in a minute…let her come. Did you meet your mom?"

Percy's face fell, "No, I didn't. What can I tell her? I mean, I ran away from home for gods' sake! I don't know if I can face her yet."

Chiron smiled, "You have many qualities of Achilles inside you…but not all his faults" He added, "Your mom loves you. She understands why you left, you should go and meet her. You even have a sister now. I don't remember the name but a cute child"

Just then a teenage girl entered the room, Chiron beamed at her, "Marietta! Meet one of my students, Percy Jackson."

Marietta Romero's eyes lit up like a light bulb, "I have heard so many things about you Mr. Jackson."

"Just call me Percy." He shook her hands, "Whom did you hear from?"

"My sister, Katie. She is working for a Agricultural lab now."

"Katie gives me too much credit sometimes, don't believe most of those stories." He looked at Chiron, "So Chiron, what's the emergency you called me here for?"

"Do you remember Billy Carlyle and Neville Beedland."

Percy tried to remember, "I think so. Billy was one of the most senior campers when I first came to the camp, she was…um, one of Ann….Annabeth's brothers. And Neville was that Apollo kid with big eyes, right?"

"Yes. Billy is a detective now in the police force. A few days ago, he got a case of some strange murder. He recognized the face." Chiron's face became grim, "It belonged to Neville Beedland."

* * *

"Hell-hound." Percy examined the wounds more closely, "Definitely hell-hound. I would know these claws anywhere."

Once again Percy, Chiron and Marietta was joined by Billy to examine the dead body. It's a difficult to get inside the morgue with so many people, but nothing a little mist can't solve.

Billy nodded, "That's what I thought. What can you tell us about the others?"

"Well let's see…..snake fangs you said? There are many mythical snakes and serpents with fangs these big. It can be a Hydra, the Ladon or anything else." He faced Chiron, "The most confusing yet are the blade marks. Why there were feathers? Do you remember my pegasi Blackjack, Chiron."

"Yes."

"Blackjack told me a story even you may not know. There is that legend among the pegasis' about the original Pegasus…um who is kind of my half-brother and his mother was…Medusa…..well, that's not important. Blackjack said the original Pegasus had feathers as sharp as blades. I never believed the story much, but that is the only explanation I can think of."

Billy was taken aback, "I never heard the original Pegasus had blade-sharp feathers!"

"You shouldn't. Only the pegasis' know this story. We could ask a god to be confirmed, but I don't think that's possible now, is it?"

"No, it isn't….what's about the burned mark? The bird?"

"Bad news is I have never seen this thing before."  
"And the good news?" asked Marietta.

"The good news is I know the people who just might." Just then Percy smiled mysteriously at her, "So tell me miss Marietta, have you ever met Thalia and Melpomene?"

"The Muses? The muse of comedy and the muse of tragedy?"

"Nope. Not the muses. The archeologists!"

* * *

In a small apartment, not so far from Manhattan, there lived Thalia and Melpomene. Well, these were actually nick-names given by Percy. According to the name-plate out the door, their name was O.A.L. and K.N.L.

Billy looked confused, "So why do you call them Thalia and Melpomene?"

"You will see." Percy ringed the bell. In a minute, a cheerful looking woman opened the door, "Holy Hades! Perseus Jackson in our house? Have I lost my mind for real?"

Percy gave her a hug, "Always the cheerful one, aren't you Olivia?"

Another not-so-cheerful looking guy came from behind. Percy beamed at him, "Kevin!" He hugged 'Kevin' too.

Marietta whispered to Billy, "Hey, doesn't that Kevin guy looks a little creepy? Why the hell isn't he laughing? His friend looks happy to see us."

Billy shrugged, "I think he is the one Percy calls Melepomene."

Percy didn't seem to care though whether Kevin laughed or not, "These are my friends, Billy, Marietta and Chiron."

If possible, Olivia turned happier, "Damn! You are Chiron? The centaur Chiron? I always wanted to meet you. There are so many questions I want to ask…."

Percy cleared his throat, and for the first time Kevin spoke, "We should invite them in first, don't you think sis?"

Suddenly she seemed to turn a little pink, but her happy mood didn't drop, "How impolite of me. Please come in guys."

The home was something. There were so many books that impressed even the son of Athena. Most of them were on architecture, mythology, symbolism and what not? And here and there you could see strange looking relics, statues and weird items. Marietta could swear she something like a stuffed harpy but didn't voice it.

"So." She asked after everyone sat down. "What do O.A.L. and K.N.L. stand for?"

Olivia started to laugh, as if it was a big joke. Kevin looked kind of sad, but that's how he always looks. Olivia said, "Well we tell everyone my name is Olivia Ariel Lambert and his Kevin Nicholas Lambert. But we are orphans actually, never knew our full name. We aren't even real siblings, though have known each other from childhood. The truth is, O.A.L. stands for 'Olivia always laughs' and K.N.L. stands for 'Kevin never laughs'."

"Wait, what?"

"Yes."Kevin said these time, "We were best friends in the orphanage, like brother and sister. But it never felt like we belonged there. So we ran away, became adventurers, much like Percy here. On the run, we learned a lot. That's why we became professional archeologists. We also found out that Greek gods are real. My father is Penthos. He is the spirit of grief. Her father is Gelos, personification of laughter itself. We were not anything powerful, monsters didn't bother us. May be that's why we never knew about the camp."

Billy whispered to Chiron, "That explains their peculiar names and creepy behaviors."

"It certainly does."

Percy brought a photograph out from his pockets, "So guys, have you ever seen this bird like symbol?"

Olivia took the photo, "Hmm, I think I have." She looked at Kevin, "Do you remember bro, that time we went to Alaska?"

"Yeah, found that book in ancient Greek."

Olivia turned to his eager audience, "This symbol is a magical rune. I don't know what it does, but I know this bird is an owl."

Billy was taken aback, "An owl? But that is the symbol of my mom!"

"Athena is your mom?"

"Yes." He looked very serious, "Why an owl? This doesn't explain anything. Why would someone connected to Athena do anything so monstrous?"

Kevin shrugged, "I don't know. But an owl doesn't always mean Athena."

Children of Athena have extraordinary intelligence and memory. They are so smart; most of the normal people can't keep up with their thoughts. Sometimes they find the answer to a question out of nowhere. To others, it might look supernatural.

Billy suddenly realized the truth, "Of course! It all matches now."

Marietta became curious, "What does?"

He didn't answer her, instead looked at Percy, "The Pegasus you said? A creature of heaven. A snake belongs to earth. Hell-hounds are from underworld. A horse, a snake, a dog – they are not just three random looking pets. Heaven, earth and underworld. Only one deity connects them all. She is probably the only other deity to have a connection to owl."

Chiron gasped. Percy's eyes narrowed. Olivia's eyes lit up. Kevin became sadder. Olivia was confused, she was probably only one in the room who hadn't got it yet, "Which deity?"

This time, Percy Jackson answered her question, "Hecate!"

**Author's Note: Nearest thing to heaven is a real book. I haven't read it, but the book exists. The muses Thalia and Melpomene are kind of famous, they are the symbols of theater. And how Hecate connects them all? It is said that she had three faces, one of horse, one of snake, one of dogs. Three personalities, each representing heaven, earth or underworld. She is also the goddess of trivia, that's why the owl is connected to her. The part where Pegasus has blade sharp feathers is not from the original myths.  
**

**We haven't seen any major part of Percy yet, but the story has only started. After all, this is his adventure.**


	3. The Hunt Begins

**Disclaimer: 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' and most of the characters do not belong to me.**

**3. The Hunt Begins**

Artemis didn't like the Hesperides.

You want to learn why? If you asked her she would say they are exactly those kinds of women whom she didn't approve of.

But people close to her knew the reason really to be Zoë Nightshade. Then why hate Hesperides? Maybe because they abandoned Zoë, maybe because their father was the one to kill her (who ironically who also Zoë's father). But one thing was certain, 'Artemis the huntress goddess did not like the hesperides at all'.

That's why she told Hermes she won't come to the garden, but then he said something that made her rethink her decision. Poseidon was there.

Now Zeus and Poseidon (and probably Hades too) fighting over something against each other means trouble. But those two working together on the same thing? Yep, that means 'Bigger Trouble'.

When she arrived Apollo was already there along with almost all the Olympians. When did her annoying twin become punctual? Apollo grinned at her, "Yo little sis, whassup?"

"Do not call me little sis you idiot!"

Apollo grinned more and was probably trying to irritate her more by saying something stupid, but he couldn't finish. One of the shadows started to flicker and then began to grow. Darkness took form of a man and from it emerged Hades. Hades' pitch black eyes shifted to his brothers, "Whoa! Okay, let me guess. Someone stole Zeus underpants and he blames Ladon." His eyes narrowed more, "Or did Zeus steal Hesperides' under…?"

Zeus cleared his throat. Poseidon definitely was amused by the joke but he didn't say anything. Zeus started to speak, "Looks like all of us are here. Now I shall tell you the reason behind summoning you to this specific place!"

Apollo murmured to his twin, "Why didn't we make dad lord of the announcement again?"

Artemis didn't answer, but her lips curved just a little.

Zeus continued, "My fellow Olympians, we have a situation. A grim situation." Hades raised one of his eyebrows, "And what would that grim situation be?"

Zeus' face darkened, "Someone stole the apple of immortality, and we don't know who."

Everybody became silent. The only ones who not to look surprised were Hera, Poseidon and Zeus himself. Artemis furrowed her brows. Her father wouldn't tell Poseidon something which others had no knowledge of, that means his uncle is playing an important part too. Athena probably followed the same reasoning because she asked, "There is something more, isn't there?"

Poseidon nodded, "Heroes always try to steal these apples, and many even succeed, that's nothing new. Though we always have the knowledge of these kinds of quests, immortality can never be given so easily. What is going to stop someone from taking a bite? So, Zeus made a small modification. The outer portions of the apples were made impenetrable. Nobody can bite them, nothing can cut them…except something softer than the softest feather but sharper than the sharpest blade."

Those storm grey eyes of Athena lit up in sudden understanding, "Pegasus!"

Ares was as ignorant as ever, though the same could be said for most of the people present there. Athena kept speaking, "You blessed Pegasus not because you were impressed by his speed. That's why he vanished, no one saw him again. Pegasus was made a key! A key to immortality. A key with its own brain….I am impressed father. When did you and Poseidon get so smart?"

Hera spoke showing not even a single bit of emotion on her face, "That child, was my idea."

Apollo snickered, "Guessed…."

Zeus and Poseidon stood still, it proved what Athena said was true. Hermes asked, "How was it stolen?"

"The hesperides have no idea." Hera replied, "They found one was missing just a few moments ago. Only one apple went missing. There were no foot-prints, no sign of battle. Ladon kept patrolling the garden same as ever. This thief seems sneakier than Hermes, and he is the god of thieves."

Hermes didn't look much happy by the comparison, but he asked anyway, "Why are we worrying so much though? The Pegasus is yet out of reach, even we don't know where he is. And to gain any form of immortality one must complete the 'Athanasian ritual'. Hecate will know if someone tries, and she will notify us if anything suspicious happens."

"We have reasons to believe that someone has access to the feather of Pegasus." Hera said, "And though Hecate is supposed to inform us, risk cannot be taken. The apple of immortality is too powerful, one unknown immortal may hamper the balance of the world."

"And there is also the point that someone figured out how to cut the apple, why would they try to steal Pegasus feather if not?" the lord of the skies looked more serious than ever, "only we three, I, Hera and Poseidon knew of this and we are bound by an oath of secrecy. We can't tell the secret unless all of us agree. The thief is more cunning than a snake. We have to play our cards very carefully." He looked at every other Olympians' face one by one, "For now, keep this news only among us, don't tell anyone unless extremely necessary. Athena, Artemis, Apollo and Hermes; I order you four specifically to look for the thief. Leave now, and keep your eyes and ears open."

Everyone started to disappear. Artemis was also ready to teleport away but one deep voice stopped her, "Artemis."

Artemis turned back and bowed, "Uncle Poseidon."

Poseidon smirked, "Uncle, don't hear that word much these days." But his expression hardened immediately, "Listen, your father is hiding something even from me. The situation is grimmer that it seems, he would never intentionally call Hades here otherwise."

"The same thing occurred to me."

"Among us, I trust you to be the only one capable of finding the thief. Trust me, I really do. And I want to help you." Artemis was in the form of a fifteen years old, so Poseidon had to lower her face to look at her silver eyes directly. Maybe it was to show the concern hidden beneath, that he was as serious as the lord of the sea could get, "Find my son Artemis. Tell Perseus everything. Trust him and let him assist you. He is the only one who can help you."

* * *

There were that cute little kid and her mother coming out of an apartment building. Both looked happy. The mother found happiness in holding her baby. The little girl found it in being held by her mom.

What none of them knew, from a long distance one young man had his sea green eyes following their every single movement. How the mother smiled, how the girl giggled. Tiny drops of water kept falling from his eyes. He probably had the power to stop them from falling, after all water is his element. But the young man did not bother.

"I miss my mother too sometimes you know?" a beautiful voice spoke from his back, "I loved her, she loved me back. This is a rare thing in my family. Not everyone is loved much by the parents. Guess I was one of the lucky ones. Both my mam and dad loved me, probably still does."

Percy wiped his eyes. Not every day you find two people like them sharing their grief. The boldest of heroes and fiercest of goddess. But at that moment some secret understanding formed between them. None will speak of this day ever again, but they will remember it. Remember that none of them had a heart of stone (or more accurately a brain of stone, that's where the emotions actually come from).

He turned back and there stood the auburn haired huntress, in the form of a 20 years old girl. "Lady Artemis", Percy bowed.

Artemis smiled, "Percy Jackson. It is good to see you again."

"Really? I thought you hated boys." that came out in a rush, and Percy cursed his stupid tongue immediately. Why can't he just stop pissing gods off? Now he is going to be vaporized, end of the heroic tales of Percy Jackson, hero of Olympus.

But for some odd reason, Artemis didn't even mind, "Oh come on, I don't care for most of the males, but even I know there are good people around. Who do I look like, Ares? I am not stupid!"

"Well then, it's nice to see you too, but what are you doing here?"

"What? Can't someone visit a good friend?"

Okay, there was definitely something fishy going on, and Percy knew all about fishes. Artemis never acts so friendly with anyone, particularly with a man. Curious, very curious, "Why are you so friendly today? You never were before."

"There are reasons."

"What reasons?"

Artemis smiled mysteriously, "You will know the reason Percy, but not today. Maybe in the future, but not today." Her expression turned serious, "However, I am here not only to meet you. I need your help."

They started to walk down a small street. Percy got curious, "My help? For what?"

"Something has happened. I'll tell you what, but you must keep it secret…your father told me you were the only one who could help me."

"Go on"

"Tell me Percy, what do you know about the garden of Hesperides?"

* * *

"_My lady."  
"Rise young one"_

"_I have gathered every ingredient needed for the ritual."_

"_But you still have two more tasks to complete."  
"I shall finish them. You'll get your sacrifice very soon."_

"_And then you'll get what you wanted young one. Immortality! …leave now, you must prepare."_

"_Yes, my lady."_

_The young girl left. Only the goddess stood in her place._

_Hecate!_

_And after a few hours, a son of Ares was found dead. One owl marked upon the forehead, three strange wounds on the body, and not a single drop of blood._

* * *

"The feather of Pegasus?"

"Yes, the feather of Pegasus."

Percy never would have imagined that the moon goddess had a taste for ice-cream. Then again, he never had such a conversation with her before. Who knew she would be such an easy going person? Immortals are full of surprises.

"Hmm, now this is not a coincidence."

"And what is not?"

Percy told Artemis his story, which brought a dark look on the goddess' face, "I know why that boy was killed. I always thought it to be cruel, but regretfully I am not allowed to interfere in Hecate's business. Do you know Percy what those scars and burned symbol meant?"

Percy nodded, but he looked skeptical, "Umm…..a sacrifice?"

"Yes, a sacrifice!" Artemis almost screamed. People stared at her but she didn't seem to care much, "A sacrifice to become immortal!"

"Whoa! So the murderer is the one who stole the apple, right?"

"No, no. Have you ever heard the story of Empousa? A daughter of Hecate, not that species of blood-sucking flesh-eating monster?"

Percy shook his head. Artemis started to speak, "Empousa was a demigod daughter of Hecate and the spirit Mormo. Empousa was not satisfied living as a mortal, she wanted immortality. Hecate promised her to make immortal only if she does one of two, to do something only a great hero could do, or something only a cruel monster would do. Empousa was neither brave nor kind, so she chose the second path. She started to feast on human blood and flesh. Day by day the beautiful looking girl was turning into a beast. And that is when Hecate made her immortal. But she could not become a god or even a spirit, she was turned into a monster, who could be killed but always formed back. The Empousae we see were created from her, but none are as powerful as the original one. So to gain power and such a cursed immortality someone might be trying to become an Empousa, but that's why she doesn't need to steal an apple of immortality….she is getting it more easily"

Percy was furious, as expected, "You can't let someone kill innocent people just because they want to turn into a blood sucking monster from a…umm, blood sucking monster!"

"I don't like it, but I have no choice. We gods are bound by limits Percy. I told you I can't interfere with Hecate's business."

"But I can." Percy stood up, but Artemis caught his hand, "Don't be foolish! We have other things to do."

"We have to save innocent lives first, why don't you understand?"

Fire blazed in Artemis eyes, and for a while Percy thought she will turn him into a jackalope. But that anger was replaced by sadness, "You don't think I care? I am an immortal Percy, I have seen civilizations to fall, nations to be destroyed. At one point, you lose it. You lose that will to help everyone. You start only to see the bigger picture. Small things get ignored."

There was something in her voice which made Percy come down, "Maybe we should talk to Chiron, tell him to send someone to track down the murderer? Then we can search for the thief. And remember, the murderer also had a Pegasus' feather. So it's possible that they are somehow related."

"Not a bad idea. Let's go, I can transport you faster."

They left and found an empty place. Artemis grabbed Percy's hand and they disappeared in a flash.

* * *

"_Not every Demigod is special, you know? Some are born with powers others didn't have. Unlike most of the sons of Zeus, Hercules didn't have power over lightning, instead he had extraordinary strength. Orion the son of Poseidon could walk upon water. Orpheus had the power over music. Children of Athena are smart, but a few are smarter. Children of Ares are strong, but some are stronger. Demigods of the big three have control over only one or two of their father's domain, but Percy Jackson seems to possess every quality of Poseidon._

_I am one of them. One who is special. I have tricked the gods, fooled them. Their pride is their weakness, their confidence shall be their downfall. And at the end of the day, I shall get the power to defeat them. I shall have power of the unborn son. What I need is only one bite, only one bite of that little golden apple."_

* * *

Chiron was discussing something with Marietta, that's when Percy and Artemis materialized in front of him.

"What the…" Chiron almost said something disapproving, but at the last moment contained himself, "Perseus? And…..lady Artemis! It's an honor to see you here, but I wasn't expecting you today."

Marietta looked confused (she wouldn't admit but also a little scared) and bowed. Artemis smiled at her, "What is your name, young maiden?"

"Marietta Romero my lady, daughter of Demeter."

"Marietta here…."Chiron said,"….is my assistant. You know how much demigods we get nowadays."

"Yes, I know", Artemis smirked at Percy, "And you can really blame young Perseus here for that, after all he was the one to make others promise to claim their child."

Percy reddened, but Chiron looked amused, "Well if the camp gets too crowded we can management a punishment for him…but not today of course. You didn't tell my lady why you were here."

"We found why Neville was murdered." Said Percy, "And we need some people to go after the killer."

"Why?"

Artemis spoke only one word, "Empousa sacrifice."

And that was enough for Chiron. He slumped down into his magical wheel-chair, "Of course! It never occurred to me but this explains everything."

"Percy wanted to go after the beast himself, but we need him for something else. So we thought maybe you can some of your students to hunt her down?"

Chiron nodded and turned to Marietta, "Marietta, find Dora and bring her here. Tell her to bring two others along. A quest awaits."

"Who is Dora?" Percy asked after Marietta left?

"She is the new counselor of Athena cabin, really smart kid. She is perfect for this quest."

"Very good, tell her that it's very crucial that they find the thief as soon as possible. I can't tell you why, but this is very important. I and Percy are already on it." Artemis stated very seriously, "We can't waste more of our time. Good bye old friend….Percy, let's go."

* * *

"So, Artemis." Percy asked, "Where do we start from?"

"Hmm…the one true Pegasus vanished from the general eyes, it is said that he now flies around the world. No normal demigod can find him. How did the thief and also maybe the killer find him? That can be our primary lead."

"Hmm." Suddenly Percy's face brightened, "We are looking for a lost horse, right?"

"A lost winged legendary horse, but go on."

"If we are looking for a horse, then probably we should ask one." before Artemis could say anything, Percy did a taxi-cab whistle. It was a call, call for a friend.

Artemis was confused, "Why did you whistle?"

Percy smirked, "You'll see."

And in no time, one pure black pegasi appeared in the sky. It came below and landed in front of Percy, "Hey boss, remembered old Blackjack after all?" and then he realized someone else was there, "Oh sorry my lady, I didn't see you there."

Artemis was the goddess of wilderness, she understood Blackjack easily, "Don't worry. I didn't mind." She looked at Percy and raised her eyebrows, "Now what."

"Hey Blackjack, what do you know about Pegasus?"

"The great one? Nothing much boss, never saw him."

"Let's say I want to find him, then where should I go?"

Blackjack looked thoughtful for a moment, well only if it was possible for a horse to look thoughtful,

"Well boss, there is that old great-uncle of mine living near Texas. Some says he met the true Pegasus ones. I can take you to him."

The wind was comforting. Apollo was probably happy for some reason as the sun shined brightly. Percy was feeling something. Excitement. That thrill to run after the unknown. That sense of adventure which made him leave him. He glanced at his new found not-so-sure-yet friend and smiled brightly, "We have a lead then, my lady! What do you say?"

Artemis grinned, even in the daylight her silver eyes were glowing like the moon, "I say…..the hunt begins!"

**Author's Note: Pegasus feather being the key, the golden apple being impossible to cut and everything about the ****'Athanasian ritual' (Athanasia is Greek for immortality) is completely imagined and not taken from mythology. **

**The story where Empousa drinks blood to become immortal is also author's creation. But Emousa really was a daughter of Hecate who used to drink human-blood. Later 'Empousa' became the name for a specific kind of monster. **

**Some might ask (like Percy) that why is Artemis acting so friendly? Well, nothing is without reason. You'll find out one day…but not today. Maybe in the future, but not today.**

**If you have any comment, please review. They are good for amateurs like me (and also for my ego but that's another story). Thank you.**


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